Pammachius (d. 410 AD) was a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

senator who is venerated as a

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Or ...

in the

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism. Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or " canonical ...

and

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

Churches. He married

Paulina Paulina or Paullina (, ) was a name shared by three relatives of the Roman Emperor Hadrian: his mother, his elder sister and his niece. Mother of Hadrian Domitia Paulina or Paullina, Domitia Paulina Major or Paulina Major, (''Major'' Latin f ...

. After her death, gave himself up to works of charity.

Biography

Pammachius was born to a noble Roman family, possibly the Furii. He was a boyhood friend and classmate in the schools of rhetoric of

Jerome Jerome (; la, Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος Σωφρόνιος Ἱερώνυμος; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was a Christian priest, confessor, theologian, and historian; he is co ...

.Holböck, Ferdinand. ''Married Saints and Blesseds: Through the Centuries''
n.p., Ignatius Press, 2017 The church of Santi Giovanni e Paolo on the Caelian Hill in Rome was founded either by Pammachius or his father. It was anciently known first as the ''Titulus Bizantis'', and then as the ''Titulus Pammachii''.Kirsch, Johann Peter. "Sts. John and Paul." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 12 November 2021 He was a senator, and became proconsul.Butler, Alban. "Saint Pammachius, Confessor". ''Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Principal Saints'
1866. CatholicSaints.Info. 19 August 2014 In 385 he married Paulina, second daughter of Paula of Rome. He was probably among the ''viri genere optimi religione præclari'', who in 390 denounced Jovinian to Pope Siricius.Bacchus, Francis Joseph. "St. Pammachius." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 11. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 13 November 2021 Paulina died in childbirth in 397. After her funeral, Pammachius gave substantial alms to the poor for the repose of her soul. On the advice of his friend Paulinus of Nola, he then gave himself up to works of charity. In 398, with another friend, Fabiola, he built at

Porto Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropo ...

, at the mouth of the

Tiber The Tiber ( ; it, Tevere ; la, Tiberis) is the third-longest river in Italy and the longest in Central Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio, where it is joined by th ...

opposite Ostia, the Xenodochium of Pammachius, a guest-house for pilgrims."St. Pammachius", FaithND
/ref> In 399 Pammachius and Oceanus wrote to Jerome asking him to translate

Origen Origen of Alexandria, ''Ōrigénēs''; Origen's Greek name ''Ōrigénēs'' () probably means "child of Horus" (from , "Horus", and , "born"). ( 185 – 253), also known as Origen Adamantius, was an early Christian scholar, ascetic, and the ...

's ''De Principiis'', and repudiate the insinuation of Rufinus that Jerome was of one mind with himself with regard to Origen. He corresponded with Jerome on matters of faith, and tried unsuccessfully to get Jerome to tone down the language he used when referring to opponents. Many of Jerome's commentaries on scripture were dedicated to Pammachius. In 401 Pammachius was thanked by Augustine of Hippo for a letter he wrote to the people of Numidia, where he owned property, exhorting them to abandon the Donatist schism. Pammachius never seems to have entered holy orders, as some have thought; but lived sequestered from the world, devoting himself entirely to the exercises of devotion, penance, and charity. He died in 410. The liturgical feast of Pammachius is kept on 30 August.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pammachius 409 deaths 5th-century Christian saints Year of birth unknown 4th-century Latin writers 5th-century Latin writers Latin letter writers

Biography

See also

References